Ian Thorpe is one of the world’s greatest athletes. Born in Sydney, Thorpe has won a total of nine Olympic medals in swimming - five gold, three silver and one bronze – across the 2000 and 2004 Olympic games. He has captured 11 World Championship titles (the most ever), ten Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine Pan Pacific titles.
At the age of 12, Thorpe competed in 13 events at a state swim meet and subsequently set new records in all of them. By age 14, he became the youngest male ever to represent Australia, and his victory in the 400 meter freestyle event at the 1998 Perth World Championships made him the youngest ever individual male World Champion.
In Sydney’s 2000 Olympic games, Thorpe was expected to perform well and he did not disappoint, capturing three gold medals and two silver medals while breaking three world records. He had another successful run in the 2004 Athens games, winning two gold medals, one silver and one bronze.
Thorpe was named ‘Swimmer of the Year’ by Swimming World magazine (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002) and was named 'Australian Swimmer of the Year' from 1999-2003. In 2001 the IAAF awarded Thorpe the American International Athlete Trophy as ‘The World’s Most Outstanding Athlete’ and in 2002 he was voted “Australian Face Abroad Award” by the foreign press as the best representative of Australian culture, attitude and ideals. Thorpe was named ‘2003 Outstanding Male Athlete’ following the 24th Commonwealth Sports Awards and ‘Sydney’s Greatest Ever Male Sports Star’, as voted by readers of The Daily Telegraph.
Thorpe announced his break from competitive swimming in November 2006 and has since devoted his time to improving health and education standards for children. He is the founder of Ian Thorpe's Fountain for Youth which raises funds for research into childhood illnesses and sponsors a school in Beijing for orphaned children with disabilities. In 2010, Thorpe’s Foundation for Youth was honored by the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders, recognizing and acknowledging the professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future.
In 2012 Thorpe made his television debut as a commentator for the BBC at the Olympic games in London. In October the same year, he released an autobiography titled, This Is Me, which touches upon his battle with depression and the pressures that go along with being an athletic icon.
Ian Thorpe, Olympic swimming legend, is available exclusively through IMG Speakers bureau for speaking engagements. Ian Thorpe is also available for celebrity appearances, corporate hospitality events, meet and greets, and much more. Please contact IMG Speakers at 212-774-6735 or speakers@imgworld.com for more information on booking Ian Thorpe.
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